The invention relates to a simply assembled and economical electric lighting fixture using a U-shaped fluorescent lamp and designed for rugged use out-of-doors particularly in areas adjacent to the sea.
My prior U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,564,890 and 4,692,848 disclosed two forms of lighting fixtures using U-shaped fluorescent lamps with housings mainly made of polyvinyl chloride. These patents disclosed the advantages of making lighting fixture housings intended for outdoor use out of polyvinyl chloride.
My present outdoor lighting fixture requires fewer components and its assembly requires less time than my earlier outdoor lighting fixtures. Its assembly requires no screws or O-rings to hold together its housing components, all of which are already manufactured in quantity and readily available at reasonable cost.
Simply put, the present outdoor lighting fixture includes a U-shaped fluorescent lamp, a socket for the lamp, a 120 volt transformer wired in series with the lamp, a flanged circular base plate for supporting the lamp socket and the transformer, a polyvinyl (PVC) cylindrical housing having at its center an interior annular ring for supporting the base plate; a PVC cylindrical post fitting into the lower end of the cylindrical housing to support the housing and its electrical components.
A cylindrical frosted lens surrounds the fluorescent lamp and rests upon the flange of the base plate. A domed PVC end cap is fitted over the upper end of the cylindrical lens and secured to it by waterproof sealing material.
The PVC domed end cap, cylindrical housing and the supporting post can be finished in a variety of colors to make an attractive and durable outdoor lighting fixture which is waterproof and weatherproof. It is impervious to intense sunlight and salt-ladened sea air.